Kāpiti Coast mates Mark Young and Tim Roberts ahead of the national table tennis competition in Palmerston North this weekend.
It wasn’t until he saw comedian Billy Connelly live in concert that Kāpiti Coast man Tim Roberts realised he might have Parkinsons’ disease.
That was 10 years ago.
Connelly, who had Parkinson’s disease himself, was demonstrating some of his symptoms with the audience about what happens with his arm.
That’s when the penny dropped for Roberts.
“I suddenly thought - that’s what I do,” he said.
The similarities were too uncanny not to get checked out and tests results confirmed Robert’s worst fears. The diagnosis was devastating for the former policeman and his family and turned their lives upside down.
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition that worsens over time, reducing the brain’s capacity to produce dopamine, vital for the link between the central nervous system and muscles in the body.
The most common effects are tremor, stiffness of movement and muscle stiffness.
A friend of Roberts, Mark Young, came across some overseas research promoting the health benefits of table tennis for people living with Parkinson’s.
Young discovered there was a global movement called Ping Pong Parkinson’s with active groups in the United States and Europe, where they had recently started a world championship.
He went about starting up something similar in New Zealand, organising the first Ping Pong Parkinson’s session in Kāpiti with the help of the local table tennis club and Red Tulip Parkinson’s Group.
With support from Table Tennis NZ and Parkinson’s NZ, there are now eight active Ping Pong Parkinson’s groups with 80 players New Zealand-wide with groups in Wairarapa, Horowhenua, Whanganui, Nelson, Invercargill, Dunedin and Whangārei.
Young said it was his mate who inspired him to get involved in Ping Pong Parkinson’s.
“The way Tim has re-invented himself in a new life with Parkinson’s as a poet, author and visual artist is just awesome,” he said.
Young said since then he had met some amazing people through table tennis, who like his mate had taken their diagnosis with positivity and determination to make the best of their new lives.
“If playing table tennis can help people living with Parkinson’s have fun and feel better, then it is the least I can do,” he said.
Young said research had shown table tennis had significant benefits for people living with Parkinson’s disease and could help relieve symptoms.
Table tennis was a low impact sport requiring limited movement, but had a mix of physical, cognitive and social benefits.
Now, the first-ever New Zealand Ping Pong Parkinson’s tournament is being held in Palmerston North this weekend, a collaboration between Parkinson’s NZ and Table Tennis Manawatū.
The tournament is being held as part of Table Tennis Manawatū’s Open tournament. Competitors will play in two categories based on their level of mobility and playing rules have been adapted to recognise the particular needs of people with Parkinson’s.
PPNZ is working to encourage more playing groups around the country and hoped to send representatives to the annual Ping Pong Parkinson’s World Championships.
More than 300 people living with Parkinson’s from around the world will gather in Maizieres-les-Metz in France for the 2024 World Ping Pong Parkinson’s Championships next month.
While all these tournaments are going on, researchers are working to establish the benefits that playing table tennis has on people suffering from neurological illnesses like Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s is the world’s fastest growing neurological condition. Approximately 12,000 New Zealanders live with Parkinson’s.
At Otago University’s Department of Psychology, neuroscientist Professor Liz Franz is exploring psychological and neural processes associated with the action system, such as how the brain organises complex behaviours so that goal-directed actions can occur.
An enthusiastic table tennis player herself, two current research projects use table tennis as a subject of learning including exploring how the brain learns through observation of movement and the role of focused attention to improve play.
“The novelty of learning and the challenge that makes up the game of ping pong is exactly what our bodies need and our brains crave,” she said.
“Complex combinations of bodily postures and movements and their associated sensory-motor and cognitive functions provide an enriched experience with demands on visual tracking, eye-hand coordination, decision-making, memory, and strategic planning.”
The Details
What: Inaugural Ping Pong Parkinson’s NZ Tournament
When: Saturday, September 21, from 10.30am
Where: Barber Hall, Arena 5, Waldegrave St, Palmerston North
Police said those involved were known to each other.